Number of Taal evacuees still rising, now at 112,000 — NDRRMC
MANILA, Philippines — Some 112,757 individuals are taking temporary shelter in 416 evacuation centers, according to the latest update Monday by the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council.
Over 215,000 people from the provinces of Batangas, Quezon, Laguna and Cavite have been affected by Taal Volcano's unrest, NDRRMC said, adding that some 69,304 individuals are being served outside proper evacuation centers.
Over a week after a steam eruption at Taal Volcano's main crater triggered after-effects such as ashfall, the number of evacuees continues to rise with each passing update.
International child welfare organization Save the Children Philippines cast fear that prolonged displacement for both adult and child evacuees could have serious psychosocial repercussions.
NDRRMC's bulletin said that 714 volcanic earthquakes were recorded as of January 20. Some 176 of these, it said, were felt at magnitudes 1.2-4.1 and intensities I-V. Magnitude measures the energy released at the earthquake’s source while Intensity measures the strength of shaking.
The provinces of Batangas and Cavite continue to reel from a collective P3.06 billion worth of damage to agriculture, a statistic that remained unchanged from the last update. They have since been declared under a state of calamity, which indicates significant loss to agriculture and infrastructure among others.
Although state volcanologists continue to say that the volcano displays "generally weaker" activity, they say that a further eruption is still very much a possibility as Alert Level 4 remains hoisted over the volcano.
Alert Level 4 indicates that "a hazardous explosive eruption is possible within hours to days" and has been up since Sunday, January 12.
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